Egypt definitives

Egypt issued some of the finest designs in early stamps (you can see most of them here). More recently their issues have increased in quantity with the usual fall-off in quality. Egypt has gone through a number of political changes since issuing its first stamp in 1866. The currency used has been consistent since 1888, but inflation appears to have been high since the 1980s.

Years	Description	Currency / Notes
1866-1914	Turkish Suzerainty	40 paras = 1 piastre (1888) 1000 milliemes = 1 piastre, 100 piastres = £1 Egyptian
1914-1922	British Protectorate	No new 1m or £1 stamps issued in this period
1922-1936 1936-1952 1952-1953	Kingdom King Fuad I King Farouk King Ahmed Fuad II
1953 1958 1971	Egyptian Republic United Arab Republic Arab Republic of Egypt


1866 Sc7 SG4 1 pi mauve £30 / £4
1867 Sc13 SG14 1 pi dull rose £4 / £1.25		There are four main variants in this classic design, see here
1872 Sc22m SG27 1 pi red £150 / £2.50		SG27 is lithographed, SG31, same design, typographed. SG38 is a paper and perf variant/
1879 Sc36 SG47 1 pi rose £10 / 20p
1884 Sc37 SG54 1 pi blue £1.50 / 10p		Same design as SG47, new colour
1888 Sc43 SG58 1 m pale brown 25p / 10p		Change of currency 1902 SG64 paper variant
1902 Sc SG69 1p ultra £2 / 10p
1914 Sc50 SG73 1m sepia 10p / 10p		Native boats on the Nile 1921 SG84 perf and w/m variant
1922 Sc78 SG98 1m sepia 25p / 20p		King Fuad I SG84 o/p The Kingdom of Egypt 15 March 1922 in Arabic
1923 Sc92 SG111 1m orange 10p / 10p
1927 Sc128 SG148 1m orange 10p / 10p
1927 Sc SG170 £1 chestnut and slate £30 / £3.50		SG170 is all photogravure 1937 Sc149 SG172 £110 / £16 is centre photo, frame litho (illustrated)
1933 ScC5 SG193 1m black and orange 10p / 10p		Airmail. One of the finest stamp designs ever, Handley Page HP42 over Pyramids
1934 Sc177 SG219 1m orange 15p / 15p		Khedive Ismail Pasha
1936 Sc191 SG233 1m orange 10p / 10p		King Fuad I
1937 Sc206 SG248 1m orange 10p / 10p		King Farouk
1938 Sc224 SG272 £1 sepia and green £65 / £55		King Farouk's 18th birthday
1940 Sc240 SG283 £1 sepia and blue £7.50 / 70p
1945 Sc242 SG291 1m orange-brown 10p / 10p
1946 Sc258 SG315 1m yellow-green 10p / 10p		Arab League Congress King Farouk and Inshas Palace
1949 Sc269D SG346 £1 sepia and blue £10 / £1
1949 Sc273 SG352 1m green 10p / 10p		16th Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition
1952 Sc299 SG373 1m orange-brown 10p / 10p		SG291 o/p King of Egypt and the Sudan 16th October 1951
1952 Sc316 SG391 £1 sepia and blue £27 / £9		SG346 o/p
1953 Sc322 SG414 1m red-brown 10p / 10p		Agriculture
1953 Sc340 SG432 £1 red and bluish-green £7 / £1		Queen Nefertiti Possibly the most beautiful stamp, ever.
Following the establishment of the Republic, a series of overprints were issued with the images of previous rulers obliterated with three bars.		Sc342 SG435, SG248 o/p £2 / £2 Sc345 SG438, SG291 o/p 10p / 10p Sc360 SG454, SG346 o/p £10 / £2 Sc360A SG467, SG373 o/p £1.40 / £1.40
1954 Sc368 SG495 1m red-brown 10p / 10p		Agriculture
1957 Sc SG538 1m deep turquoise-green 10p / 10p		Country woman and cotton plant 1958 Sc413 SG540 watermark variant illustrated
1958 Sc SG553 1m carmine 10p / 10p		Inscribed UAR Egypt
1959 Sc SG603 1 m vermilion 10p / 10p		inscribed 'UAR'
1960 Sc SG634 £1 red and bluish green £6 / £1.40		SG432 o/p 'UAR'
1961 Sc SG669 1m greenish blue 10p / 10p		as SG553 inscribed 'UAR'
1964 Sc SG769 1m blue and yellow-olive 10p / 10p		C14 glass vase
1970 Sc SG1039 1m multi 10p / 10p		'Step' pyramid, Sakkara
1972 Sc SG1131 1m green, brown and blue 10p / 10p		In 1971 Egypt became the Arab Republic of Egypt
1978 Sc SG1340 1m indigo 10p / 10p		Irrigation wheels, Fayoum This is the last of the 1millieme stamps. I will show the 1 piastre stamps from here on...
1985 Sc SG1575 1p brown 10p / 10p		Priest of the god Mout. ...Well that was the plan, but inflation must have set in at this point because this is the only 1 piaster stamp. In the next definitive set in 1997, the lowest value was 5p. there was a £1 stamp, see SG2025
1993 Sc SG1870 £1 brown and blue 40p / 20p		"Bust of woman", it says in Gibbons.
1997 Sc SG2025 and SG2032 (air) £1 multi £1 brown, yellow and black both 35p / 20p		Queen Nefertari Gilded wooden statue of Tutenkhamun Inflation is still running at this point, as £1 stamps now become commonplace. Definitives only from here.
2002 Sc SG2242 £1 ochre, blue and brown 25p / 15p		Snefru's pyramid

Page started 16th March 2005